As-Delivered Opening Statement of NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan during the #AskNEDA Media Briefing – July 19, 2023

We welcome everyone here today for our first #AskNEDA media briefing of the year. We sincerely appreciate your continued support, as it is an integral part of our endeavors under our communication initiatives. Today, I am pleased to provide updates on significant developments under NEDA’s purview and recently concluded engagements.  

First, I would like to share more about our international engagements on July 10 and 11, 2023 in New York and Toronto on July 13, 2023. As you may know, these engagements include our discussions and meetings with foreign investors and partners.  

The economic team met with potential investors in New York and Toronto to discuss investments opportunities in the Philippines. In these meetings, we highlighted the country’s promising high-growth sectors, which may interest investors. These include sectors such as infrastructure, renewable energy, and green investments.  

The investor delegations included business leaders and high-profile members of the banking community such as the CEO of Citi, Jane Fraser, in the Bank’s headquarters in New York and UBS Securities Canada’s Managing Director, Alan Auclair, who commended the Philippines’ solid macroeconomic fundamentals that enabled the country to withstand global headwinds. 

Moreover, together with the Canadian mining company B2Gold, the Economic Team explored opportunities for investments and partnerships in green minerals, as we seek to position ourselves as a key player in global value chains for green technologies and manufacturing during this crucial period of adapting to climate change.  

Among other things, we established strong investment leads that can contribute to our goals of sustaining rapid and inclusive economic growth and creating higher-quality and resilient jobs. 

Second, I am pleased to announce that the Marcos Administration’s Infrastructure Flagship Projects or IFPs Dashboard is now accessible to the public. The dashboard went live today at noon, and we have publicized its launch through NEDA’s various communication channels. 

Through this monitoring platform, we want to demonstrate the government’s commitment to maintaining transparency, accountability, and efficient governance over the IFPs that will transform our economic landscape over the medium term. Later, we will walk you through the dashboard’s features to show how stakeholders can best utilize it.  

Third, this morning, the NEDA Board approved three new infrastructure projects while also approving changes to four ongoing projects. 

The three newly approved projects include the following: 

• One is the Samar Pacific Coastal Road II (SPCR II) Project, which aims to improve connectivity between Laoang Island and mainland Samar Island by constructing bridges and enhancing the existing road infrastructure.  

• Two, the Solicited Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) PPP Project, which aims to rehabilitate, operate, expand and transfer NAIA.  
• Three, the Unsolicited Laguindingan Airport PPP Project entails upgrading, expanding, operating, and maintaining the Laguindingan International Airport in Misamis Oriental. 

Moreover, the NEDA Board approved the requests for reasonable changes in scope, cost, design and loan validity extensions for four ongoing infrastructure projects. 

Adopting a national policy on infrastructure sector master plans, which aims to harmonize and rationalize the formulation of infrastructure plans across the country, was also confirmed. 

The Economic Team’s engagements, initiatives, and projects approved by the NEDA Board aim to create opportunities for economic development, improve infrastructure, and enhance public services.  

Through these efforts, the government seeks to foster inclusive growth, improve the quality of life for all citizens, and ensure a brighter future for the Filipino people in line with our long-term vision of a matatag, maginhawa, at panatag na buhay for all Filipinos. 

Again, thank you for gracing us with your presence.  We look forward to answering your questions. 

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